Respighi's reputation depends largely on his symphonic poems whose bold use of orchestral colour derived from Rimsky-Korsakov’s example.

His rarely heard ballet La pentola magica (The Magic Pot) pays tribute to other Russian composers including Arensky, Grechaninov, Pachulski, Rebikov and Anton Rubinstein.

His triumphant cantata La Primavera (Spring) was based on Constant Zarian’s adaptations of ancient Armenian poetry, while the song cycle Quattro liriche su poesie popolari armene uses archaic church modes and a quasi-Armenian ensemble to create an exotic religious mood.